Telemachus Journey Essay

748 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Parallels between telemachus and odysseus's journey

Going on a journey is necessary for personal growth and maturity. In the first 4 books of The Odyssey by Homer, Telemachus goes on a journey to find out information about his father and grows into a man who is the true son of Odysseus. The Prince of Ithaca and the son of a great hero, Telemachus needs to go on this journey because Odysseus did not come back from the Trojan War. With help from Athena and the gods, the insecure Telemachus left his grieving mother to find information and become more independent in the process. His journey was necessary because Telemachus learns about how royalty should be treated, about respect to the gods, and that it is important to depend on others during your travel.
The journey Telemachus went on was necessary for him to learn about how royalty should be treated. In his palace in Ithaca, suitors had overrun his home. They treat the young prince with disrespect and they are rude to his mother. They steal his food …show more content…

It’s important to rely on others and it is okay to be dependent during your journey to independence. Telemachus received a lot of help, not only from his loyal crew members but from the goddess, Athena, who adored Telemachus and his father. SHe aided him a lot on his journey in many ways. The bright eyed goddess was even the one who inspired Telemachus to begin his journey because he was weak in the start, when she disguised herself as Mentes (Telemachus’s friend) and told him, “For you, I have some good advice, if only you will accept it. Fit out a ship with twenty oars, the best in sight, sail in quest of your long lost father.” (1.320-323) He needs to rely on others if he wants to get anywhere. Accepting assistance is necessary because when he was alone previously, he was weak and his house was getting overrun by suitors. Telemachus has to have people aid him so he can get out of his

Show More
Related

  • Comparing and Contrasting the Journeys of Odysseus and Telemachus in 'Odyssey'

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over their travels in the epic The Odyssey, both Odysseus’ and his son Telemachus’ adventures were parallel but at the same time different. These travels led them both to grow and change drastically, and both learned some very important life lessons over the course of this epic.

    Read More

  • Telemachus Quest In The Odyssey

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Odyssey is about perilous quests, wars, and a man who just wants to come home. The Telemachia is important because it establishes the problem at Odysseus’ home, reveals facts about Odysseus, and shows that the gods favor Odysseus and Telemachus.

    Read More

  • Essay on Homer's Odyssey - Comparing Odysseus and Telemachus

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    These are questions that would go unanswered unless the reader reaches within the emotions of the character. In the case of Telemachos, his emotions shaped his well being. For example, had it not been for Athene giving him confidence, by no means would he ever have thought of taking such a voyage, hence, Telemachos would have never participated in his "final test" against the suitors either. His sorrow and anger from the loss of his father and his mother constantly being attacked and proposed to by piranha-like suitors were also driving forces towards his journey.

    Read More

  • Heros Journey In The Odyssey: The Hero's Journey

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    This was a major step in the hero’s journey because it helped Odysseus discover and meet new friends, mentors, enemies, challenges, skills and new knowledge. This self-knowledge began with Odysseus not having any friends who trust him whatsoever. The main reason to do so is, in book nine, Odysseus doesn’t make any new friends considering the fact that he has a problem with letting his hubris get into the way of letting him believe someone is actually good enough to be friends with him. Here, it is clearly articulated that he was too boastful for him depend on anyone. This is major because not only does he avoid dependence, but he also avoids trust put on him. If he is too selfish, no one will believe his word, as they will think it’s all for himself and not any for them. The part of the epic which identifies this is when Odysseus gives specific instructions to his crew to not open the bag which was given by Aeolus. Only Odysseus knew that the bag contained powerful winds which could help them reach Ithaca, but this is hidden from the crew. They had already identified Odysseus as selfish, so they expected the bag to be full of treasure, and how mankind is, they wanted some too. To the readers’ surprise, this all changes the minute he enters Ithaca. He is welcomed by his dog, Argos, and was helped a kind shepherd who filled in Odysseus

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Inadequacy In The Book 'The Odyssey'

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    At some point in their life, many people experience feelings of inadequacy or uncertainty. In “The Odyssey” by Homer, one of the main characters Telemachus experiences both of these feelings. He feels that he is not good enough, especially compared to his father, Odysseus, who many people refer to as a great leader. In the beginning of “The Odyssey”, Telemachus’ home has been taken over by suitors, each with the goal of winning over his mother, in hopes to marry her and become king. Telemachus is not fond of these men in his home, but does not have the confidence to get rid of them. Lastly, at this point in the story, Odysseus, Telemachus’ father, has been gone for approximately twenty years, most of Telemachus’ life. Telemachus has been

    Read More

  • Odysseus' Relationship with Telemachus in Homer's Odyssey

    927 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the last books of The Odyssey Homer tells us how Odysseus restores his relationships with his friends and relatives at Ithaca. Perhaps one of the most revealing of these restoration episodes is Odysseus' re-encounter with his son, Telemachus. This re-encounter serves three main purposes. First, it serves to portray Telemachus' likeness to his father in the virtues of prudence, humility, patience, and planning. Secondly, it is Odysseus' chance to teach his son to be as great a ruler as Odysseus himself is. Lastly, Homer uses this re-encounter to emphasize the importance of a family structure to a society. To be able to understand the impact that this meeting had on Odysseus it is necessary to see that Telemachus has grown since his first appearances in the poem and obviously since his last contact with his father; Odysseus left Telemachus as an infant now their relationship is a man to man relationship rather than a man to child relationship.

    Read More

  • The Hero’s Journey in Homer's The Odyssey

    1885 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first step in any hero’s journey is the Call to Adventure, or the seperation from the pack. For Odysseus this call happened while he was on Calypso’s Island. Up on Olympus Athena had convinced Zeus of her case and Hermes was dispatched to free Odysseus from Calypso’s grasp. Odysseus was settled here for quite some time and had no way of escape until Calypso was forced by the gods to let him go. This is where his journey begins. At first Odysseus is very skeptical of this freedom and thinks that it is a trick by Calypso, which is the denial stage that follows the call to adventure. This stage seperates Odysseus once agaian from what has become familiar to him. He is called to journey alone once again to gain what it is that he has wanted for so long. For Telemachus his call came due to the perils he was facing in his own home with suitors competing for his mother’s love. They started to eat him out of house and home and began to disrespect his mother. Before this Telemachus had stayed quiet, and had not taken action. Telemachus got summoned to branch out from his mother and his home to venture out on a journey of his own. It was now his time to become a man.

    Read More

  • Greek Xenia in The Odyssey

    1934 Words  | 4 Pages

    Right at the beginning of The Odyssey, the reader is shown the hospitality that Telemachus has. Athena arrives, disguised, and he invites her into his home by saying: "'Greetings, stranger! / Here in our house you'll find a royal welcome. / Have supper first, then tell us what you need'" (1.144-46). His address to Athena shows right away that he is an extremely hospitable character. Despite his house being overridden by the suitors, he is still welcoming of this stranger. When she is about to leave, he offers that she stay longer and wants to treat her with honor (1.352-60). Telemachus has no idea who Athena is, yet he still shows extreme generosity towards her. Telemachus is a perfect role model for xenia. Even though the suitors have been pushing him around for years, he still finds it in his heart to provide strangers a lovely experience when they visit him. It seems as though he has seen how terrible it is to be treated with bad xenia and he in turn wants to treat his guests the way that he hopes to be treated.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Journey In Homer's The Odyssey

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Our life’s journey of self-discovery is not a straight-line rise from one level of consciousness to another. Instead, it is a series of steep climbs, and flat plateaus, then further climbs. Even though we all approach the journey from different directions, certain of the journey’s characteristics are common for all of us.” Author Stuart Wilde’s impression of journeys and their shared commonalities supports the claim that all journeys have a motive and an outcome. In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus sets off to defeat Troy, leaving his wife and child behind. After accomplishing his goal, Odysseus faces many problems while trying to return him and his crew back home to Ithaca. Similar to Odysseus’s physical journey, the goal in

    Read More

  • Telemachus Journey To Manhood Essay

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout The Odyssey Telemachus grows in character from an unprepared teen to a young man who could one day rule Ithaca. He has many experiences traveling to learn more about his father and many that occur on Ithaca once Odysseus returns. All of these events help to shape him into the assertive young man he becomes.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Telemachus in Odyssey

    1545 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Odyssey, Telemachus, son of great hero Odysseus, who grows up in the world of greed and disrespect where the suitors take over his palace and court his mother, is one of the most significant character throughout the whole epic. His father, Odysseus, leaving the land Ithaca for 20 years, is the only warrior alive in Trojan war who hasn’t make his return home. During Telemachus’ expedition to search for the news of his father, he is under a process of maturation from the beginning in which he is mere a shadow of his father to the end in which he becomes more and more like him in terms of initiative, sensitivity and socialization.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    537 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.

    Read More

  • The Role of the Gods in the Odyssey

    1194 Words  | 3 Pages

    If not for divine interference, neither Odysseus nor Telemachus would have journeys to make. The gods are first responsible for establishing the conditions under which the story begins. While the Greek soldiers had returned home from Troy, Odysseus remained trapped as “the brightest goddess, Calypso, held him in her hollow grottoes” because “she wanted him as a husband” (Homer, Odyssey 1.5, Translation by Allen Mandelbaum). Calypso traps Odysseus on her island of Ogygia and “keeps the sad Odysseus there—although he weeps. Her words are fond and fragrant, sweet and soft—so she would honey him to cast off his Ithaca” (1.7).

    Read More

  • Telemachus: A Character Analysis

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...for war and stiff debate,” (IV.920-921). Telemachus himself even exhibits anxiousness as he weighs “his mind on the course Athena charted,” (II.506).

    Read More

  • Odysseus Character Development Essay

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The

    Read More

More about Telemachus Journey Essay

Open Document